


4 - Open, Plot a Way and Follow

by saltysarah



Series: For I Still Live [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, F/M, Family Feels, Politics, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 15:53:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30057867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltysarah/pseuds/saltysarah
Summary: The fallout from Melida/Daan finally reachesManda’yaim.This takes place immediately after 2.
Relationships: Jango Fett/Myles the Mandalorian
Series: For I Still Live [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2193600
Comments: 7
Kudos: 158





	4 - Open, Plot a Way and Follow

“Mereel!”

Thankfully, Jango remembered to switch to internal comms before he started growling. This time, at least. Khal had already secreted the _ad’ika_ away, thankfully, and Jlarn [1] had proved to be less useless than some of his other New Mandalorian brethren by warning him about Adonai Kryze.

Honestly, Clan Kryze was a joke. The previous Head, Megur, had been full of _mandokar._ Adonai was _hut’uun_ all the way down to the bones, only claiming pacificism because he was too chicken shit to fight for his beliefs. Jango had heard of the second daughter, Satine - and her willingness to actually be a martyr for her cause, despite only being 11 standard.

The youngest, Bo-Katan, thankfully seemed to have some sense, since they’d seen her sporting vambraces at various events and being scolded for it.

The eldest had run to them at age 13 to renounce her clan and become Norrelia Mereel of House Kryze, and complete her _verd’goten._ She was also newly pregnant with her first child, although it was a bit of a toss-up as to whether any New Mandalorians had been informed.

“What,” he said flatly, not bothering to stop.

Adonai drew himself up like a porg, nostrils flaring. Maybe he thought he looked impressive in his synthsilk, but Jango wouldn’t even need to try to break the _hut’uun’s_ neck.

“What right do you have to negotiate alliances with another planet?”

“It’s hardly your business what the _Haat Mando’ad_ do or don’t on their own time,” he retorted.

Adonai scoffed. “Do you really expect me to believe this lie about _children-.”_

Jaster drew to a halt so abruptly that the blond walked into his _nor’cabur_ and bounced right off.

“First of all, I’m honestly heartened that not all New Mandalorians are _hut’uun_ enough to forget the _Resol’nare._ I have been honoured to welcome Clans Crown and Rothull, and Houses Oyon, Szigan, Reef, and Wynnward under the banner of _Haat Mando’ad.”_

Adonai looked like he’d swallowed a frog. Jaster hoped someone was recording a picture; he wanted to print that to practice his darts on.

“Second of all, you’re implying I lied about _ad’e_ in danger for my own benefit, Adonai.” The man blanched, apparently realising just how stupid it was to confront him in the streets of Keldabe in broad daylight, with both his daughters and choice members of his court in tow. “I can challenge you for slander and even your New Mandalorian _osik_ can’t save you.

“Third of all, don’t try to blame your _hut’uun_ tendencies on others,” he growled. “Crown answered the call. Rothull answered the call. _Haran,_ Wren _and_ Saxon answered the call. _Ad’e_ were being murdered by their _dar’buir’e_ while you sat on your _shebs_ in Sundari and did _nothing.”_

“There- there was no proof of any children in danger!” Adonai sputtered, red-faced with more than the afternoon heat. “There aren’t any children with you, so obviously-.”

“Who in _haran_ do you think I allied with, you _laandur_ of a _hut’uun?”_ he snarled. “I hope someone is recording every single count of slander - I am going to take great pleasure in carving each and every one out of your worthless hide.”

“There’s no-!”

By the _Ka’ra,_ had Adonai been dropped on the head as a child? Even the _ad_ so willing to play martyr looked embarrassed, although it was the adults around her who should be taken to task for ever letting such an idea enter her head. Bo-Katan had already moved as far away from her _buir_ as she could while technically still being part of the group; if Jaster noticed Keld, Norrelia’s _riduur,_ inching his way over to her - well, that was the twi’lek’s own business.

“Not that it’s any of your concern, but my _ad_ has a new _vod,_ fresh from war, and you want me to parade him in front of you for, what, your entertainment?”

Adonai quailed back, finally realising he was karked. Jaster really did want holos of all the stupid faces he was making, preferably with the words _‘kaysh mirsh solus’_ scribed beneath. To think Clan Kryze had scrimped and saved to send Adonai all the way to _Coruscanta_ for that university education he was so proud of; Jaster had never been more thankful he was largely self-taught.

Khal had taken the _ad’ika_ back to their compound separately; the _ad'ika_ had barely slept their entire journey home and looked like he’d been run over by a speeder. Adonai would probably think the worst and open his _di’kut_ mouth to say as much, and then Jaster really would have to kill him for the insult to his honour, not that he actually wanted to kill Adonai.

Not yet, at least.

“The _ad’ika_ has more _mandokar_ in his little finger than you have in your whole body.” He leant forward, menacing. “He killed Pre Viszla after the _aruetii_ escaped from the hold and attacked him and his _vod’_ e. He disarmed Tor Viszla.”

The _Haat Mando’ad_ internal comms tittered with equal parts groans and snickers at his pun. Someone pointed out how Bo-Katan’s eyes were literally shining. A fair number of passersby had noticed her speaking, haltingly, to Keld, but none of them appeared to have any interest in informing the New Mandalorians of that. More than a few looked outright approving.

If Keld played his cards right, Norrelia might get a piece of her old _aliit_ back, and their _ikaad_ would know at least one _ba’vod._

“And finally.”

Adonai swallowed harshly.

“House Viszla has only _ad’e_ and _ikaad'e_ left.” The poor things would need to undergo Reintegration, if not Integration, depending on how thorough _Kyr’tsad_ brainwashing ran. As with everything, Jaster had realised, there had been a spectrum. Clan Wren raised their _ad’e_ barely any differently to _Haat Mando’ad,_ if with a far more traditional slant, while some of the training Clan Viszla put their _ad’e_ under was more akin to torture.

 _“Kyr’tsad_ leadership has fallen to Ahlora Wren.” Ursula had plenty to say about her estranged _vod._ “And Ahlora has sworn to _me.”_

Adonai choked.

It was times like that these that Jaster wished he could take of his _buy’ce_ and reveal his shit-eating grin in all of its fanged glory. Maybe he could’ve made Adonai piss his pants; a holo of that would've made his whole _year._

 _“Kyr’tsad_ no longer exists,” he intoned. “There is only _Haat Mando’ad_ \- and, I suppose, whatever _hut’uun’e_ are masquerading as New Mandalorians,” he dismissed.

“How _dare-!”_

“I’m still waiting to hear your excuses, Adonai.” The man had never been Kryze, a sentiment shared by many who still remembered the sheer force of nature Megur had been. “The call wasn’t from _Haat Mando’ad,_ I didn’t even claim the title _Mand’alor_ \- it had been on the behalf of _ad’e._ ”

Jaster stepped forward, his fury abruptly rising. “Where were you, Adonai? _Where were you?”_ he roared.

The man turned tail and fled, quickly followed by a tearful Satine. Conspicuously, Bo-Katan had sidled behind Keld so the New Mandalorians wouldn’t notice her staying behind. She waited until they were all gone before peeking out from behind Keld’s hip, still clinging to his gauntlet.

“Your _beskar’gam_ seems to have grown a new attachment, _vod,”_ Jaster said dryly.

“I’m not an attachment!” Bo-Katan chirped heatedly in the face of their cooing laughter.

“Oh?” Jaster smiled to himself within his _buy’ce._ This was easy enough to play along with. “What are you, then?”

“I’m-.” Bo-Katan caught herself before she could blurt out anything she might regret. The pint-sized redhead drew in a deep breath, practically her whole torso rising with the effort, and then said, “I’m Bo-Katan. I think I should talk to my _vod’e_ before I say anything else.”

She clung tighter to Keld’s gauntlet. “I- don’t think I should swear to you before then, Ser Mereel. _Ni ceta_ ,” she whispered, ducking her head. Keld put his other hand on her back in comfort.

“Oh, _ad,”_ Jaster sighed, stepping forward. Bo-Katan peeked up at him, her green eyes bright. “I think that is a most wise decision indeed.”

Bo-Katan practically _glowed_ with his approval, leaning into Keld’s side.

“You should take Bo-Katan home to see Norr’ika,” Jaster told the twi’lek. “I’m certain you will have many things to say to each other. When a decision is made - you know where to find me.”

“Um-!”

He tilted his head. “What is it, _ad?”_

“Um- your _ad’ika,”_ she whispered, “the one you Adopted. Do you- do you think I could meet him, once he’s feeling better?”

His comms were once more divided, this time between cooing over Bo-Katan’s preciousness and sneering at Adonai for letting an _ad_ full of _mandokar_ languish for so long. Bo-Katan should have started preparing for her _verd’goten_ already, but it seemed like she only had that old pair of durasteel vambraces she’d been scolded for time and time again. It hurt to think of Megur's _beskar'gam,_ made of genuine beskar, languishing in Adonai's possession.

“I’m not his _buir, ad,_ so I’m afraid I can’t speak for him. You can, however, ask his _vod.”_

Jaster jerked his thumb at Jango as he started up his helmcam, ruthlessly throwing his _ad_ under the speeder. Bo-Katan didn’t fail him, immediately turning those wide tooka eyes Jango’sway. On their internal comms, Myles was _cackling._

“Uh- I’ll, uh- the _ad’ika_ will be busy for some while with, uh, a _mir’baar’ur,_ and, uh, Integration classes, and, uh-.”

Bo-Katan began to _wilt._ Jaster could practically see Jango’s panic ratchet higher.

“But! But! You’ll be busy, too, right, with your, uh, _vod’e_. And, uh, preparing for your _verd’goten._ So you 2 should, uh, both get your stuff sorted out first, and then I’ll, uh, I’ll ask the _ad’ika.”_

Bo-Katan began to sparkle again, and it was Jango’s turn to wilt, this time with relief. A private message popped up inside his _buy’ce,_ from Myles to him.

 _You’re a terrible, terrible man,_ ner ‘Alor.

He could envision Myles’s wide grin and crinkled eyes as he chortled at Jango. Truly, Jaster couldn’t have asked for a better _verd_ to stand beside his _ad_. After his family’s deaths, Jango had taken things a little too seriously, pushing himself to do better, to _be_ better. Their first meeting had gone catastrophically badly, with Jango unable to laugh at anything while Myles had always been a little too quick to laugh at everything.

But Myles’s laughter hid a warm heart, a sharp eye with a blaster, and an even sharper mind. He’d had to kick Jango’s _shebs_ once or twice to make him realise it but once he had, the 2 of them had become nigh inseparable. It was only a matter of time before they said the _riduurok_ and found themselves _buir’e,_ although Jaster already knew Myles was going to be the strict one; Jango was absolutely useless in the face of tooka eyes.

His _ad_ had gotten that from him.

 _That makes 2 of the Kryze ad’e,_ he received from his other lieutenant, Dilys Ordo, since he still wasn’t speaking to Silas. _You trying to make it 3 for 3?_

Well, if the opportunity arose - _oya._

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from Linda Hogan’s poem, Map.
> 
> [1] Short for Jlarn’buwu’rushaa, the New Mandalorian Chiss male mentioned in 2. It isn't mentioned, but his _Kyr'tsad_ counterpart, the Togruta female, is Ahlora Wren.


End file.
